How were messages sent between computers before the use of servers...

How were messages sent between computers before the use of servers? I mean what if I wanted to send a message directly to a computer , how would that have worked? Or have servers always existed since the beginning?

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Servers are functionally no different from normal computers. They are just used to describe usage and typical hardware.
In terms of networking itself, the different between 'client' and 'server' is nowhere as clear-cut as people think it is, and most computers act as both clients and servers.

Lol. Yeah kid.

> used to have to use orange Ethernet crossover cables.
> before that serial connections.

My question is why I can't send a file directly to a person so they get a little request to accept or decline it and then it's downloaded on their device. Kind of like a telephone call where as long as it's turned on it can receive messages but you have to respond to these requests. I understand that servers respond to requests automatically but what if I wanted a system where it was a person responding the requests?

>Or have servers always existed since the beginning?
They used to be called mainframes.

>My question is why I can't send a file directly to a person
You can

Then how? I've been reading about push technology but it also seems to use a server. I just want to know if there's something like the postal or telephone system where I input the IP address or MAC address of a computer and send it off.

Your post indicates that you have very limited knowledge of how computer networks use. If you want to know more, I suggest reading Computer Networks by Andrew Tanenbaum (you don't have to read the entire thing, but he writes really funny and it's a good introductory book).

One of the issues with what you suggest is that people on different LANs are usually behind firewalls and NAT devices, meaning that their IP address isn't publicly exposed. On the same LAN, there's a bunch of file sharing applications such as AirDrop or Windows' media sharing or whatever that allow you to transfer directly.

For a more fundamental explanation, the receiving end needs to actively be listening for new connections and new data (which is in essence a server). In addition to needing the IP address, you also need a port number that indicates which process on the remote system you are connecting to. But this is really hard to explain in detail in one post, I suggest reading the book for more info about this.

Anyway, tl;dr version: be on the same LAN.

Fucken Sup Forums millenial not knowing the many fucking readily available protocols for file sharing

Also SMB

The only thing I'm concerned about is not having to rely on a middle man to exchange files. For example if I'm sending financial records, I don't want a third party server to see those documents. Most servers store the files so they can be accessed at a later time by the recipient. Of course there are servers allowing realtime communication and file transfer, but I still don't trust them to only transfer the files and not store them. I understand P2P filesharing and what not quite fine. But my question was how did the Internet work before servers? Nowadays if I want to learn about a university, I connect to a web server which delivers me a webpage. But how did people find out about things beforehand? They would've had to exchange that information somehow. So how was a university able to provide information to people before they had websites?

I know about file sharing like torrents and what not but there are still third party servers like trackers which could locate your file and download it for themselves. I want to send directly to a person, no middle man

>But my question was how did the Internet work before servers?
The short answer to this is that there was no internet before servers.

Client-server model outdates Internet by far and stems back from the mainframe-terminal model.

>Nowadays if I want to learn about a university, I connect to a web server which delivers me a webpage. But how did people find out about things beforehand? They would've had to exchange that information somehow.
Also, BBS.

>So how was a university able to provide information to people before they had websites?
Posters, newspaper ads, word of mouth, advertising mail, etc.

>how could people live before the internet omg

Are you 12?

How can anyone this oblivious about how data communication works think he knows enough to justify spamming a technology board?

This is clearly a demonstration of the Dunning-Kreuger effect.

>what is ftp
>what is cifs
>what is smb
Did you even try?
>torrent
Pfft

>Also, BBS

So they just hosted all their information on a third party server for anyone to see?

>Posters, newspaper ads, word of mouth, advertising mail, etc.

I was obviously talking about post-Internet

Does FTP allow for file transfer that isn't real time? For example, if the server is offline, will it try to reconnect at a later time? And if so, will it send a request for transfer to an actual person and not some automated system?

Jesus fucking Christ OP read a fucking book

Install an FTP daemon on the receiving end and use a FTP client on the transmitting end. How hard can it be?

Are you mentally challenged somehow? The previous posts stated that the server-client model was available before the invention of the Internet in mainframe - terminal builds. There has never been an Internet before server technology existed. The first computer that connected to another computer via the Internet was the first Internet client, the other one the first webserver. Is it so hard to grasp this concept?

Instant messaging clients used to work this way.

>12 year old phone posters

Additional: If you really want to transfer files directly client-to-client, set up an ftp server and log into that to access the data. I also don't see a problem in uploading you data to jewgle drive or some other botnet when properly encrypted before. You've got gnuPG for your disposal, what are you eating for?

peer to peer was and still is a thing

I actually think that OPs question is more that xir wants a direct connection, across the internet, but without any form of Routing.

In other words, they totally lack any form of understanding of networks.

You could host your own sftp. You could use SSH. You could use ICQ.

There are many ways to get a file directly to a person.

Not what I want. Just want to be able to send a file directly to a computer with no third party facilitating the transfer besides our ISPs and network admins.

There are dozens of ways to accomplish this task.

Most still do but there's still the third party server in between that stores the file until it's delivered. I want real time file transfer where it's not stored on any third party server nor is it read by any third party.

With the ability for a human to decline/accept the transfer beforehand? Because most options I've seen just start the transfer automatically. I want them to get a message saying "hey someone wants to send you a file. accept?" and if they're not online I want it to retry at a set interval until eventually the file is sent.

nigga look up token ring networks

Just stop now user. You cannot grasp how simple this is.

>bashing people trying to learn new things
you need to fuck off out of this world

OP isn't trying to learn. They are ignoring the advice given.

/thread

I'm not ignoring the advice because I'm not getting any. All I heard is people telling me the methods used but not demonstrating how to use them. How the fuck am I supposed to know what a daemon is? I'm not an IT expert.

By doing your own fucking research. We aren't your tech support. You want to send files? Great! Set up an SFTP server on your computer and have your friends download whatever they wish.

>How the fuck am I supposed to know what a daemon is? I'm not an IT expert.
fuck off kid, you're lucky the mods haven't banned you yet, Sup Forums is a 18+ website.
My advice: install gentoo and use it daily